New Study finds pet seatbelts don’t keep your dog safe

As New Jersey considers making it the law to have your dog restrained in your car, a new study suggests that these dog seatbelts and harnesses may not offer much actual protection and can actually cause injury to your dog.

As New Jersey considers making it the law to have your dog restrained in your car, a new study suggests that these dog seatbelts and harnesses may not offer much actual protection and can actually cause injury to your dog.

Lindsey Wolko founded the Center for Pet Safety in 2011 after she was in a car accident with her dog Maggie. At the time Maggie was restrained with a harness, but she suffered spinal injuries as a result of the accident. This is what inspired Wolko to test dog harnesses and restraints. “My dog was injured by one of these products and I felt that this was inexcusable, this should not happen.”

Wolko tested four of the strongest dog harnesses on the market using the same federal motor vehicle safety standards used to test child car seats. A 55 pound weighted test dog was used in a simulated 30-mile-per hour collision. Every single one of the harnesses failed.

The first harness provided too much slack allowing the dummy dog to fly forward and crash into the test bench. In the next two tests the harness snapped, sending the test dog flying through the air completely unrestrained. In the fourth test the worst result was found, as the harness slid up the test dog’s neck upon impact. “I don’t think that there’s any doubt that those dogs would have been seriously injured, if not fatally injured,” Wolko said.

The American Pets Products Association issued the following statement in response to Wolko’s test results, “There are an increasing number of reported accidents where a pet distracting the driver is being cited as the cause. A pet restraint that merely limits a pets access and distraction to the driver and limits its motion in the event of an accident is still an improvement over no restraint.”

Wolko doesn’t blame the manufacturers though. Since there are no existing safety standards in place, they didn’t do anything wrong. Wolko sees the lack of safety standards as the issue and is focusing on having that changed, “The pets that we love, they need real protection.”

Crates can get crushed in an accident. Which would either cause injury or kill your dog(s), but also your dog(s) is now loose and if they get out of your car can possible get killed from another car(s) or run off and get lost.

Not to mention things flying through the air that can harm or kill your dog(s). Of course you have this with harnesses too.

I’m not sure what the answer is. I normally crate my dogs in plastic crates (which I secure in the back seat) but as someone else mentioned a crate can get crushed. I remember seeing a story about one brand of metal crate that is extra sturdy and survived an accident keeping the pet safe and secure even though it was damaged.

If a dog does get loose from a crate in an accident and tries to protect his/her owner, they risk being shot by law enforcement. Same thing if the dog is secured by a seat-belt threatens rescue personnel.

This issues doesn’t affect just pets, humans can be crushed as well when they are belted in.

The restraints are not necessarily to keep the dog safe, but to keep it in the vehicle and not ,in fear, running into traffic,– not, as someone else has brought up, attacking the people trying to help its owner. A wreck severe enough to snap restraints are going to leave adults and children hurt, also. Of course, we could wrap everyone in foam rubber. Notice, I said nothing about the driving, we all know some accidents are caused by road conditions, other drivers, etc.

Well, I mean, the tests performed in the story above were only at 30 mph. Unless a 55 lb. human passenger isn’t buckled in, 30 mph isn’t enough to severely injure someone (minus heart conditions, etc.). Seeing as how my dogs are 60 and 80 pounds, respectively, I’m definitely thinking twice about getting them harnesses to wear in the car. If these won’t protect them at 30 mph (ex. residential areas), then they definitely won’t help them at higher speeds.

So what is the answer – now that I have already bought car safety belts for our three Rottweilers? We have a CRV, which is mighty small for transporting these three guys. The back seat isn’t really big enough for them and even with the back seat folded over to increase the cargo space, there’s not enough room for them to be really comfortable, let alone putting them in crates. I’m always worried about them when we transport them, alone or together.

My simple response is to drive like your life depended on it……and your dogs AND your children…….and the person in the next lane…… No easy solution. My pups are trained to lay in the deep well on the passenger side. It’s not perfect, but for now it’s working well, especially if i need to brake hard.

The safest way to transport a dog is in a wire crate bolted to the floorboard. It will not break like plastic. Midwest makes a wire SUV crate that is designed so that two fit side-by-side between the wheel wells. They are 21″ wide. The length and height varies according to what you need. The person with 3 Rotties and a CRV might be in trouble. 🙂 But my Golden Retrievers fit just fine.

Dogs are dogs not little people. Owner’s seem to like seat belts as they play into the cute little fur people mentality whereas crates are perceived as cruel cages. An invesent in a quality crate for your dog is an investment in both the owner and the dog’s safety. It is also much more comfortable than a seat belt for the dog.

You would not buy a car too small to transport your spouse & children so why would a thinking human buy a dog too big for their car or a car too small for their dogs??????? Makes no sense unless one is brain dead?

If you are in the habit of transporting numbers of large dogs other than for an occasional vet visit you owe it to your dog to have a vehicle BIG ENOUGH for crates for each, which will also allow you to leave windows &/or doors open for ventilation when you stop. Also affords you the possibility of providing water for a dog who may get hot or thirsty secondary to stress.

Crates are the safest means of transporting, nothing is perfect but they are about the safest. Most wagons, suv’s, and mini-vans, as well as larger options have hooks and other means to secure packages … or … your crates. For cats & cat size dogs the tiny crates can be secured with a seatbelt adaptation. The anti crate thing is an Animal RIGHTS (not welfare) anthropromorhpism, small cog in their end goal of no pets, meat, hunting, and so forth. Dogs are dogs, not humans, and have a den instinct. Given opportunity and access they will prefer the crate as their private safe place! Crates are NOT CRUEL!

NOT as safe for the dog, but also meeting the non driver distraction criteria while offering your pet “comfort” (anthropromorphising fools), are the barriers that keep them out of the front passenger seats. Yep, seat belts & harnesses can cause significant injury to organ and skeletal systems. But on the other hand unrestrained animals can become dangerous distractions or projectiles. Shame a lack of common sense on the subject has given rise to the myriad legislative proposals! Responsible breeders speak to saftey among other issues to prospective owners !!!! I guess other sources like pet shops and/or the mass relocation efforts (generally labeled rescues & shelters) may not, or their “adopters” aren’t listening to the messages.

I’m surprised no one has yet come up with the equivalent of a child safety seat for dogs . . . . something actually ergonomically designed with some sort of chest bumper that buckles securely by the car’s seat belt . . . . . that way it’s the safety seat that take the brunt of the force of hitting the end of the restraint, not the dog’s chest and neck. The problem is we’re trying to secure a canine body to a seat set up for humans and it’s just inadequate.